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You would think that, after World War II, Europe had seen all of the genocide it could stomach for a century or so. But, no, here came the Serbs in the early 1990s, with their ethnic cleansing and wholesale butchery and rape of the Bosniak and Muslim population.

There have been very few films that truly dealt with the subject, at least that have been released in the United States. Milcho Manchevski’s “Before the Rain” (1994), Michael Winterbottom’s “Welcome to Sarajevo” (1997) and Danis Tanovic’s “No Man’s Land” (2001) are among the best – and this year’s “The Whistleblower.” There have been several about the uncomfortable aftermath of Serbian brutality and cruelty, but the history itself remains almost an afterthought.

Angelina Jolie’s “In the Land of Blood and Honey” takes a tough look at the effects of that war as it was happening. Here is a populace that can’t quite believe that, in the era of satellite transmission and the 24-hour-cable-news culture, the world will sit idly by and let this kind of slaughter go on unchallenged (which it mostly did).

Jolie isn’t telling a “Romeo and Juliet” story here, though the lovers at the center of her story hail from opposite sides of the conflict in Sarajevo. Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) is an artist, out on a first date with Danijel (Goran Kostic) – or maybe it’s a second. There’s obviously a spark there, feelings or feelings about feelings.

They’re dancing close in a nightclub when a bomb goes off, destroying the club and killing several people – and the next thing we see, the war is on and the Serbs are rounding up the Bosniaks. Ajla is part of a group of women that has been gathered and taken away to be laborers and sex objects for the Serb army as it tries to take over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

But even as she is pulled out of a lineup by a soldier for rape, she is rescued by Danijel, the captain of this particular group of soldiers (and the son of a Serbian general, played by a menacing Rade Serbedzija). He claims her as his own in front of the soldiers and makes her his consort – then protects her, even as his men savage the rest of the women.

He helps her find an escape from the camp – then rescues her again when she is recaptured. But when he ensconces her in a private jail cell to which only he has the key, the word spreads to his father that Danijel has gone soft on an enemy.

As Jolie builds this tense story of a captive’s seemingly untenable relationship with her captor, she raises a crucial issue: What are you willing to do to survive? What can you live with? Where do your loyalties ultimately lie?

It becomes tangled and confused for both Danijel and Ajla, each betraying some part of their allegiance to their own group – and each wondering when the other person will commit what seems like an inevitable act of betrayal.

Jolie’s film is brutal and violent, without being sensationalistic. It remains a sore subject, because the crimes were so atrocious and the remorse for them so minimal. Jolie’s point is to remind us that these were shameful acts that twisted people’s values.

Marjanovic, as Ajla, has a sensitive quality – hey, she’s an artist – but also a toughness and resignation about the vicious physical attacks she can’t completely elude. Kostic finds the painful conflict within Danijel between his natural instincts of compassion and the brutal pragmatism his father, the general, demands of him.

“In the Land of Blood and Honey” is a painful, gripping story of the extremes of the survival instinct, in the face of human indifference. It’s a provocative drama that will fuel endless post-screening discussions.

6 Responses to “‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’: The beast in me”

My response is in reference to your first paragraph. Please stick to reviewing movies and not European History.

To compare the 70,000 Bosnian Soldiers and Civilians killed in the Bosnian War to the real genocide and ethnic cleansing in WWII, is a gross insult to all the peoples and nations who suffered at the hands of the Nazi’s. The only instance of “genocide” officially declared by the international court was at Srebrenica, where 8,000 people were killed. WWII claimed 70 million lives!

The Serbs alone had 700,000 casualties in WWII at the hands of the Bosnian and Croatian Nazi allies. A Croatian run concentration camp, Jasenovac, killed 100,000 Serbs, Jews and Roma with a special knife called the “Serb-killer.”

I understand that you and Ms. Jolie, as being a part of Western Media are required by the thought police to show a proper amount of hatred and disgust with the Serb people, but please don’t insult the memories of those who died in the horror of true genocide committed during WWII.

Mr. Heller, if I may be so bold, I would also advise you not to fall for a certain type of propaganda, simply because it’s contrary to what’s been reported on this particular conflict. While it’s important to question the media etc. it is also important to be able to know when you’re being lied to by a strong and organized propaganda machine, in this case that of the Serbian persuasion.

While it is true that all sides committed atrocities etc. during this conflict, there was a clear aggressor and one side is indeed more to blame than the others. Also, historians from all sides have come to the conclusion that somewhere between 100 000 – 150 000 deaths is an accurate figure for this conflict. You would do well , however, to have another look at the “Genocide Convention” which defines “genocide” as the attempt to destroy an ethnic, racial etc. group “in whole or in part”…

As for WWII history, once again, I’m afraid you’ve been misled by the Serbian propaganda machine. While it’s true that the Croatian puppett state exterminated Serbs, Jews, Roma, Croats who were against the Ustase regime etc., you neglect to mention that Serbs also collaborated with the Nazis during that war, despite thir efforts to claim sole recognition for the fight against the Nazis (as it played on on the territory of the former Yugoslavia). That distinction belongs to the Partizans (led by Tito) comprised actually mainly of Bosnians, Croats, Jews and yes, a number of Serbs too. Conveneintly nobody mentions Nedic and his camps. In addition, and this is by no means an attempt at exonneration, the Croat puppet state was a reaction to the injustices carried out by the Serb-dominated authorities of the ‘first’ (ie. interwar) Yugoslavia. Finally, let’s stop portraying only Croats as Fascists…In addition to Germanuy and Italy, Spain,Hungary, Vichy in France, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia etc (ie pretty much all of Europe had Fascists in power during WWII). I could go on but I will just add for you not to also insult the memories of those who were victims of the Serb Nazi collaborators during WWII as well.

I plead to all people of good will to not only boycott this movie but all future projects of actors like Sherbedzija or Kostic. As a Serb who was born and raised in Sarajevo and who barely survived that tragic war, this movie only ads more insults to injury that will most likely never heal. I am looking at Ms. Jolie on this photo, shaking hands with one of the most bloodthirsty Bosnian war criminals – Haris Silajdzic, and I cannot help but wonder… Is it possible that someone like Angelina Jolie, for whose charity work I had so much respect, never did any research? I never expected a well-balanced anti-war movie from Hollywood but I expected more from Ms. Jolie, thinking that she understood the depths of human suffering. Thinking that she does not discriminate between the victims, regardless of their names, race or creed. Instead of sending a message of hope, the movie deeply insulted all the innocent Serbian victims in Sarajevo, completely omitting their existence. I have seen the young Serbian girls, victims of massive rapes conducted by Bosnian criminals in my hometown. I have watched the faces of crushed parents after a Bosnian sniper killed their six years old child on the Grbavica street, just because the child had a Serbian name. I can only imagine how do they feel about Jolie, Sherbedzija or Kostic today. This movie is not about popcorn and ignorant audience Ms. Jolie, remember that, and shame on you! This disgrace of a movie went far beyond insulting the innocent victims. It planted another round of evil seeds in already hopelessly contaminated Bosnian soil. More poison injected into the numerous wounds of Bosnian society, which were never able to heal because of the profit-driven, one-sided approach of the West.
Ps. If, by any chance, you Ms. Jolie, or you Mr. Sherbedzija, or you Mr. Kostic reed these lines and, in your selfishness, think that I went too far, that you (or this movie) are not that bad, think again….AND SHAME ON YOU! AGAIN!

With sincere hope that this Christmas will bring more peace and understanding among the suffering peoples of the Balkans and a little sanity to the authors of these articles, (who do not know what the hell are they talking about). Merry Christmas! Max, New York

Most analysts agree that all sides committed atrocities. On the rare occasions we see Bosnian fighters in “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” they come off as a likable ragtag band, while the better-armed and better-organized Serb forces are presented as preening and sadistic fascists, continually drunk and singing nationalistic songs. She’s playing favorites, and drawing on cinematic and historical archetypes.
I wish to correct what I observed, especially the I will leave the artistic side to those who are more qualified. Sex, violence, distortion of historic facts and fabrication appear alive and well in Hollywood as cinematic tricks are used to distract and “entertain” us. This film stinks the same way as “Behind the enemy lines”.

As a citizen of The Western World, Jolie has made an interesting and compelling film about a world in which she does indeed know well. Mr. Fine’s assessment of the film comes from a man’s extensive academic knowledge of film, and he does not attempt to profess that he is an expert on all people’s feelings on what Jolie is portraying in the film. As such, its missing the point to stand back and judge a film based on its merits rather than slam a film critic for his analysis.

I suppose that historical facts are actually products of a the “Serb propaganda machine” when they don’t fall in line with Angelina Jolie’s interpretation of Balkan conflicts, and your unquestioning support of the Serb smear campaign.

You are correct, that official estimates of the Bosnia-Serb war are about 100,000 people, however 30,000 of these unfortunate souls were Serbs and so when I mentioned that 70,000 Bosnians died in the conflict I was not underestimating, just being accurate.

Now where you really go wrong, is in your attempt to further dwell into WWII history. You wrote “Partizans (led by Tito) comprised actually mainly of Bosnians, Croats, Jews and yes, a number of Serbs too,” which is just plain wrong. Although the Partizans were indeed a multi ethnic group, Serbs were by far the largest members. Even from the Croatian contribution to the effort 75% were Serbs living in Croatia.

And as for your rant about concentration camp run by Milan Nedic, the Serb Nazi collaborator, the majority of the victims (in terms of gross numbers) killed in these camps were actually Serbs who were resisting Nazi occupation. Your implied assertion, that the majority of Serbs were Nazi collaborators is absurd and insane, considering that the Nazi’s long term plan was to exterminate the Serbs.

If the Serb’s do indeed have a “propaganda machine” than it is like a toaster oven compared to the Western 18-wheeler monster truck, grossly re-writing history to suit their politically motivated reinterpretation of events. I know that Angelina and the rest of Hollywood do not propagate these falsehoods intentionally, it was the politicians that invented and sold the lie. The movie industry is just trying to make a profit of the tragedy, with their continuing irresponsibility for historical accuracy.

I guess in the end Hollywood needs a good villain, but a good critic also needs objectivity and knowledge of the subject matter, which seemingly you are lacking in both.